Many computer applications, especially computer applications designed to run and operate on the Internet (or the World Wide Web), use forms. For example, the forms may include registration forms, screens to create new product, purchase forms, invoice forms, and many different types of forms. The forms may have lots of different uses and be used by many different types of users, including developers, designers, end users, consumers, etc. The forms may include different fields. Objects may be used to create forms and fields within the forms. An object may be a stand-alone object meaning that the object is not linked to or does not reference other objects. The object may be a linked object meaning that the object is linked to or does reference at least one other object.
An object used to create a form or a field in a form may contain an error. In some instances, the object is a linked object and the error may be in an object that is referenced by or linked to the linked object. One technique to identify errors in forms and fields, including during completion of the fields for submission to be saved and stored, is to perform an in-place validation of the form fields. For example, an application may not allow a user to save and submit a form if a mandatory field is not completed or if one of the fields contains an error, even when the error is in the object linked to the field. An in-place validation may scan the fields and objects directly linked to the field for these and other errors and prevent the form from being submitted until the error is resolved. The in-place validation may identify the field that contains the error such that it is identified to a user. However, the in-place validation may not identify all possible errors in the form fields, for example, when one field depends on the input of another field or when the error is present in an object that is linked to or referenced by the object linked to the field. In these cases, it is not possible to bring the application focus to such a field that contains one of these types of errors and the underlying error may be difficult to find. For both users creating forms and users completing forms, this deficiency of current in-place validation techniques on fields and the objects underlying the fields results in lost productivity and inefficiencies when interacting with these applications.
Further technical problems may arise when objects from one application reference objects of another application and errors are present in the referenced application. The errors present in the objects of the referenced application may not be traceable and detectable from the application in use using current systems and techniques.